About to break dSLR virginty. Who should I do it with?

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ksduded

Active member
So I am planning to get my first dSLR for my video needs. I am not a DOP, but a content creator, so the dSLR will primarily be used by me on my own projects. As I will be editing it, so will have control in case there are some technical issues during the shoot.

So I need help in choosing what to get. I know that Panasonic AF-100 is going to be released in Dec, though the price tag and 2 month wait are the main reasons I would not go for it at the moment.

My shooting style is to do hand held and use the zoom a lot, something similar to 24. Is this going to be a deal breaker, or are there some good lenses or apparatus that I can use.

I am looking at Canon 2Ti with Zoom H4N. What kind of light, tripod, lens and colar and boom mic should I go for?

Thanks in advance
 
I'm no expert on gear, and I don't have a ton of experience with the other manufacturers, but Redrock makes a great shoulder mount kit. You can get a rear hanging accessory plate that not only adds some counter weight, but makes it easy to mount an H4N or battery pack, if you're a one man show.

The thing to remember about DSLR is there's no powered zoom or autofocus, so if you zoom in and out a lot, you'll want to shoot at a slower f-stop so focus isn't as critical. With that in mind, you might be okay with the kit lens and keep it locked at 5.6 or slower, so you have constant apeture throughout the barrel.

Because of the lack of viewfinder, autofocus, powered zoom, and form factor, DSLR is not the best for run and gun. You can spend a lot of money getting your camera to that point.

*I mean, my rig cost $2500ish plus the camera $1600 and 17-55mm 2.8 lens $1000, never mind the oodles of accessories I still need and I'm still waiting on a true EVF from either zacuto or redrock. It adds up. For all of these inconveniences, you get a piece of equipment that is extremely versatile and customizable, but if it isn't perfect for your bread and butter shooting style, then it might not be worth while. Like I said, I'm no expert, but I took a stab since no one else has.
 
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thanks for the feedback.

Actually I almost never use powered zoom. I always do the zoom ring.

I have never used dSLR, so sorry about the newbie question.

Basically when shooting video, I zoom in a particular subject, focus on him and then shoot. Then during the shoot, I zoom in and zoom out with the zoom ring, and the subject is always in focus. Is there a dSLR or a lens that will allow me to do that?
 
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no. the focal plane shifts with the zoom.
in order to try to shoot the same way, you need to either rely on the camera's auto-focus or re-focus manually after each zoom.
if you plan to continue the same type of video-style shooting, you should consider the gh1.
the canon's require you to change the way you shoot, more like a film, more controlled setting. i don't own a canon, but have heard that the auto-focus isn't useable in video mode. maybe someone else can chime in on that.....or you can search around for the answer.
 
ksduded said:
I know that Panasonic AF-100 is going to be released in Dec, though the price tag and 2 month wait are the main reasons I would not go for it at the moment.
Click to expand...

If you are planning on eventually buying the AF-100 camera, then you might consider buying the Pansonic GH-2 camera when it comes on the market at the end of November, because it uses the same Panasonic 4/3 lens mount, so lenses bought for the GH-2 will be a perfect match for the AF-100.

Otherwise, I would look at getting a Canon 60D instead of the Canon T2i. The 60D costs a little bit more, but it has manual audio control, a better autofocus system for still-photography, and you can set the color-balance using degrees Kelvin.

For audio I prefer the Olympus LS-11 over the Zoom H4N, but then I am using this with a Sound Devices MixPre to power and amplify my XLR condenser mics. ( I think the build quality of the Olympus LS-11 is much better than the Zoom H4N, and the LS-11 will run for 12+ hours on one set of AA batteries )

As far as mics go, keep in mind that almost all shotgun-mics that cost less than $600 are NOT designed to be used indoors. Low cost shotgun-mics have very poor off-axis sound rejection, so they record almost as much audio from behind the mic as they do in front of the mic, so they are only really useful outdoors or in very large non-reflective spaces. The cheapest shotgun I would use indoors is the Rode NTG-3, which is a very good mic for both indoor and outdoor use.

Ideally for indoor audio you would want to use a hypercardioid pencil condenser mic, like the AT 4053B or the AKG CK93, both of these mics have excellent off-axis sound rejection and sound great indoors.

You will need something to power and amplify professional XLR mics, so I would recommend buying either a JuicedLink box, or the Sound Devices MixPre field-mixer which has professional mic pre-amps and a very loud headphone amp. ( the MixPre will also run all day on 2 AA batteries )
 
thank you for the detailed response. I will research all the new equipment you mentioned. Audio is definitely one of the most important aspect while shooting story based content, so will look into better audio equipment.

I did notice a new sony dSLR the Sony Alpha a55. The autofocus on it is insane. It finally makes dSLR usable.

This video clearly shows the difference between a normal dSLR and the new sony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHPaVD0pHpQ

I do like the image(colors) of Canon better. Is there a good lense which I can mount on the Sony A55 to get similar results (right now the film look is not on par with Canon)
 
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